Silver Lining
by IHaveCookieInMyEye
Summary: Being re-written so it's no longer rough-draft crap :P If anyone wants to help me write it, e-mail me at
1. Chapter 2 Capture

**Attack**

As they approached the black brick building, they could feel the dark magic permeating from it. Once they were close enough, Harry pulled out the invisibility cloak and draped it over the three of them. Carefully, they stood and began to walk towards the door. They had all grown during the past few years and Harry had to magically enlarge his cloak. As they entered, the heavy oak door creaked loudly on its hinges, alerting a death eater who had been standing watch. Swiftly, he turned and sent a cutting hex in their direction. Having to move slowly because of the cloak, the curse hit Harry in the left shoulder. He bit his lip to keep from making a sound and alerting him to their presence. Ron, thinking quickly sent a cutting hex at the door behind them. To the death eater, it seemed as though the hex hadn't hit anybody at all. Giving the door another suspicious look, he shrugged and turned around.

The trio let out breaths of relief, and Harry quickly examined his shoulder. It was pretty deep and was bleeding a lot but he'd survive. Hermione muttered a charm to stem the blood flow, conjured a bandage and carefully wound it around the wound. Harry gave a quick nod to indicate he was fine and they kept moving. They crept quietly along the walls of the fortress, wands drawn, holding their breaths. They didn't want to attack anyone for fear of alerting others that could be lurking around. There was to be no delays. Get in, kill the snake and get out. Unfortunately, fate wouldn't have this. As they turned a corner, a loud siren suddenly went off and death eaters immediately swarmed from every corner. They still would have had a small chance of escape since they couldn't be seen if Lucius Malfoy hadn't had the common sense to accio the cloak.

"Shit." "Crap." "Damnit" Ron, Hermione and Harry each mumbled under their breath.

"Well, well, well. What have we got here." Lucius sneered. The death eaters chuckled darkly. "Why don't we show our guests to their rooms, hmm?" With a smirk, he selected 5 death eaters to subdue and lead them to their chambers. When they got there, they were thrown into the dark stone dungeon and left to freeze until the dark lord or maybe a few of his minions would be obliged to visit them. The trio sat in silence, avoiding each others gaze for a few moments. Ron was the one to break the silence. "Well, this sucks." He stated unhelpfully.

Harry snorted and Hermione smacked him upside the head as a small grin tugged at her lips. Ron grinned sheepishly. They weren't overly concerned, seing as Voldemort at least wouldn't be able to join in and they were all kept together.

"Harry, how's your arm?" Hermione asked worriedly. Harry carefully flexed it and winced. "Hurts but I'll be fine." Hermione nodded her response. Looking at each other, they knew they would get through this. They sat in silence, awaiting the death eaters they knew would be coming to torture them. They didn't have to wait long. Lucius Malfoy and his wife Narcissa entered with Draco along with Blaise Zabini, his father and Crabbe and Goyle and their fathers.

"We hope you have enjoyed your stay." Lucius started. "I'm afraid the remainder of it will not be so pleasant." With a shove in the back from his mother, Draco stepped up and raised a shaky arm. "Crucio" he uttered in Harry's direction. He easily sidestepped it with a smirk. Crabbe and Goyle, however, had learnt a few tricks since school and both sent their own cruciatus'. Harry dodge Goyle's, but Crabbe's hit him fully in the chest. Harry bit his lip until he drew blood and dropped to his knees. He shook silently in pain and tears came to his eyes but he did not scream. He refused to scream under his old teammates curse. Ron held Hermione as she shook with silent tears, knowing they could do nothing but watch.

He was held under it for a full 2 minutes before Crabbe finally let up. Harry let out a low breath and was left shaking and panting. Laughing, the death eaters gave him a moment to recuperate, then Goyle hit him with his own curse. Once again, Harry grew rigid and refused to scream. Growing annoyed, Lucius hit him with a second curse. Harry's eyes widened in shock and pain and he quickly fell the rest of the way to the floor and began writhing painfully, curling himself into a ball. He let out a few loud groans and yells but still, he did not scream. Finally, Ron could take no more. "Stop it!! Leave him alone!!" he yelled. Blaise's face twisted into a smirk and he turned his wand on Harry and also sent a cruciatus his way. This time he screamed and he screamed loudly. His back arched several times in pain and he clenched his eyes shut as he screamed and twisted in agony. The three were held for exactly 3 minutes and 42 seconds before all three were cut. By now, Harry had still been screaming but nothing but a hoarse moan was coming out.

Hermione was sobbing in Ron's arms as he tried to comfort her and Narcissa kept them from leaping to Harry's side. He lay shuddering and gasping on the floor for several minutes until he finally passed out from the pain. Each death eater grinned except Malfoy who simply stared coldly at his body. Lucius walked over to Harry and gave him a swift kick in the ribs. He was rearing back for another when Ron protested again. He called over Zabini to finish the job with his father and turned his attention to Harry's loyal friends.

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Harry woke several hours later with a small groan. He tried to move and instantly regretted it. Every bone in his body ached. It felt as though someone had lit him on fire and then thrown him in front of the Hogwarts express. After assessing his condition, he concluded that the death eaters had had fun with him after he had passed out. His throat burned harshly and he could taste blood. He was also sure he had a few broken or cracked ribs. He had many colorful bruises all over his body, a large bump on his forehead and a many minor cuts. His right leg was especially sore and, looking down, he could see a large gash going down the side of it.

He exhaled loudly and tried to pull himself into a sitting position. Gentle arms grabbed him from behind, making him jump. The sudden movement jolted his ribs and he moaned loudly and clutched at them. "Oh, Harry I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. Are you alright?" It was Hermione. She pulled him close and held him until he caught his breath and slowly released his grip on his ribs.

He closed his eyes and relaxed in her embrace. "Where's Ron?" he asked, ignoring her previous question. Hermione frowned in worry but told him he was sleeping. Harry nodded slowly. He opened his eyes once more, and looked up at her. "Are you two ok?" he asked. She squeezed him gently, careful not to hurt him. "We're fine. We only got the cruciatus a few times, you were the one they wanted to punish." She stated sadly. "Why don't you try to sleep. I'll wake you up if anything happens, ok?" she suggested kindly. He sighed and gave a small nod. She kept his head in her lap and played with his hair until he fell asleep.

Once his breathing evened out, she gently laid his head on top of Ron's cloak, he was sleeping on hers, and began to look him over. Being a healer in training, she could do a few wandless spells. None of them could help them escape, but they could help Harry's wounds heal a little. She expertly ran her hands along his chest, feeling for breaks. Four times, she hit a sensitive spot and he twitched or winced in his sleep. Lifting up his shirt, she could see that those areas were bruised a dark purple and, in two cases, there was even some blood. You could see the bone standing out beneath the skin on one of his right ribs. Her eyes filled with tears as she conjured a healing paste and some bandages and began to work on them.

When she got to the particularily nasty rib on his right, he moaned and woke up. He began to raise a hand to his ribs, but Hermione gently swatted it away. "Mi, what are you doing?" he whispered. "I'm just cleaning and wrapping your ribs. Stay still and try to relax. This is going to hurt a little bit but I'm going to need to reset these before I wrap them." Harry gulped and took a shuddering breath but complied. She held his hand as she continued to work on him. "Alright I'm going to use a spell to reset your ribs. This is going to hurt but only for a moment. Are you ready?" His hand was clammy in hers and she gave it a comforting squeeze.

She was pleased when he squeezed gently back. He gave a shaky "Yes." and closed his eyes tightly. Hermione placed her other hand over one of his ribs and whispered a few words. The rib shifted beneath the skin and reset itself. Harry screamed and held her hand tightly. Without hesitating, she did this for the other three ribs, earning a loud scream each time. On the last one he arched his back and tried to move away. "Harry, I'm sorry. It's over, I'm done. You need to stop moving or you'll move them again." She spoke softly as she continued to hold his hand. After the first one, Ron had woken up and came to sit by his friend. "You're ok, mate. Calm down." He whispered.

Harry panted harshly before regaining control. He was shaking from the cold and his ribs ached badly. "Th-thank you" he stuttered, knowing that it had to be done. Hermione smiled and kissed him on the forehead. It upset her to see him like this. She wished she hadn't suggested they come here. She really hadn't expected the death eaters to be so alert. She had underestimated the enemy. Silently, she wrapped his ribs and continued to look him over. She rubbed the healing paste on all of his cuts and bruises and wrapped a tight bandage around his leg. When she was done, she checked on his shoulder which was becoming infected. She applied some of the healing paste and changed the bandage. By now he was in a restless sleep.

Ron covered him with Hermione's cloak and wrapped his arms around Hermione when she approached him. They sat in silence, holding each other, comforting each other. Soon, they too, fell asleep.

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The trio was woken up by some midnight visitors. Lucius Malfoy seemed to have taken over as leader until Voldemort was fully healed. He entered the room, malicious as ever, with Crabbe and Goyle senior in tow. They didn't seem too intent on physically torturing them, but rather verbally. He began to talk about all of their friends that had been murdered by his Lord and by himself or other death eaters. He continued to rant about all the horrible things he would do to them before he allowed them to join them. When Lucius began to describe exactly what he would do to Hermione, Ron growled and launched himself at him. Caught off guard, Lucius fell and was soon smothered by Ron's fists. Ron pummeled him until the two trolls regained their senses and dragged him off. Lucius got up, eyes blazing and spat out some blood. Ron glared hard at him.

He gave a jerk of the head in Crabbe and Goyle's direction and they picked up Ron by the armpits. "No! Please, don't hurt him!" Hermione screamed. But they didn't listen. Lucius Malfoy sent a swift kick to his stomach. He groaned and sagged in the older men's grip. Seconds later, he was assailed by a right hook to the jaw. His beating continued for about a minute or two before Lucius tired of it. He ordered the prisoners be shackled and left, cloak billowing in a wonderful imitation of Snape. Ron groaned and sunk to the floor while the two bulky men gave lopsided grins at the scene before they left. Hermione quickly scrambled over to him and raised his head. "I'll be fine, Mione. Nothing broken. " He mumbled. "Oh Ron, you prat. Why did you do that. " She whispered as she held him close. Ron didn't reply but simply tried to catch his breath.

After a few minutes, he was able to stand, with Hermione's help, wincing. Harry had slept right through it and they were getting worried. The couple made their way over to him and stared worriedly at his pale face which was covered with a sheen of sweat. Hermione softly placed her hand on his forehead and was shocked to find it burning. "Ron, he's burning up!" she exclaimed with an anxious look in his direction. Ron stared at her worriedly, at a loss for what to do.

The trio sat huddled together for several hours before death eaters arrived to shackle them to the wall as Lucius had ordered. There was no struggle as they did not wish for Harry to be further harmed. As they jolted him around roughly, he woke up with a moan only to realize he was being chained to the cold wall of their dungeon cell. He struggled feebly but was too weak from his injuries and fever.

The death eater ceased his useless attempt with a hard backhand that drew blood from his lower lip. Once the three were tightly bound, the death eaters gazed proudly at their work. Unfortunately, they decided the shackling hadn't caused enough of a reaction and so they had a little fun first. They tortured the trio under the cruciatus enjoying the screams ripped from their parched throats. They found Harry particularly amusing since he dislocated his already hurt shoulder with his tortured thrashings. Laughing, the death eaters left them panting and moaning.

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It had been four days. Four days without food, in a dark cold dungeon, being tortured daily with the cruciatus. The trio was looking worse for wear. They rarely slept except when it all became too much and their consciousness left them. Harry had become so feverish, he was occasionally delirious. He was in constant pain from his shoulder, not to mention his ribs which had been upset by the numerous cruciatus curses he'd received.

His jet black hair which had grown to his shoulders hung limp and matted with blood and grime. Hermione and Ron weren't looking much better. Their faces were dirty and bloodied. Hermione had several tear tracks going down her cheeks. During their waking hours, neither spoke. Instead they offered silent support or listened to the tortured screams reverberating through the halls. It was clear that they weren't the only prisoners.

When their daily visit of four death eaters came and unshackled them, they didn't struggle. They knew what was coming. They had given up hope. They were sure that they wouldn't get out of here alive. The death eaters laughed darkly and raised their wands. As the first cruciatus hit Hermione, she vaguely thought she could hear a struggle somewhere along the hall. The death eater who had been cursing her hesitated and ended the curse. Relief coursed through her and she listened intently for any confirmation to what she had heard. Just when the death eater seemed to have decided he had misheard, there was a loud bang and a scream.

The death eaters shared a glance in which they seemed to have a long conversation, then three departed quickly in the direction of the commotion. The trio was shocked by their luck. The death eaters seemed to have deemed them too weak to fight but, faced with this opportunity for escape, Ron and Hermione quickly stood and held Harry firmly between them, one arm draped over each of their shoulders. The death eater gave them a frightened stare and a frantic look towards the open door through which his companions had disappeared.

Apparently deciding he wasn't going to get any help, he squared his shoulders and raised his wand, trying to look menacing. They stared at each other, each of them keeping close watch on the others moves. As the commotion grew louder, he became more and more agitated until he finally risked a glance towards the door. This was it, Ron and Hermione charged into him, taking advantage of his distraction and dragging Harry along with them. They took his wand and quickly stupefied him. Pausing only to catch their breath and check on Harry, they headed for the door.

Harry seemed to have come out of the fog created by his fever. He was gazing around tiredly but seemed to be paying rapt attention. The trio began sneaking along the corridors again when Hermione thought to summon the cloak and their wands, which she did. She quickly draped the cloak over the three of them and put handed them their wands. They began to make their way around the area where the noises seemed to be coming from. They were almost out when they heard a loud shrill scream. It was a girl and it sounded as though she was being tortured. The trio paused and looked at each other, knowing and hating that they had to stop to help her. Whoever it was, it was thanks to her distraction that they were escaping. They couldn't just leave her there.

Having become more alert, Harry gently removed his arms from his friend's shoulders. He wavered unsteadily for a moment, and then he signaled that he was fine. He limped along beside his two friends as they made their way over to the knot of death eaters. Carefully taking aim, Hermione braced herself and whispered "Reducto"

The spell caught the ceiling directly above the crowd of death eaters and it immediately began to crumble, bits and chunks of it falling and crushing them. Hermione muttered a shield charm over them and they quickly dashed into the crowd of confused and hurt death eaters.

They got past them without a problem due to the confusion and entered the dungeon. Inside was a girl, about seventeen, lying on the floor amidst five death eaters who had apparently been knocked out by the rubble. Throwing off the invisibility cloak, they quickly ran over to her and checked her pulse. She was alive but she was hurt. Ron carefully scooped her up into his arms, and Harry, once again, draped the cloak over them. They quickly exited the rubble, praying that Voldemort would be slow in arriving.

Once again, fate seemed to be against them. They were nearly to the door when he stalked around the corner, Nagini by his side. His rotting skin looked as though it had been badly sewn together. Some of it still hung in strips. As he walked, blood seeped from between the stitches. He truly was a disgusting sight. The teens froze at the sight of him. They watched his reaction as he looked upon the rubble and discovered his prisoner was missing. Amongst the death eaters, he noticed those assigned to their own cell. His red eyes widened and he gave a furious yell. Harry quickly bit down on his lip and stumbled as he felt his anger course through his scar in waves of pain.

Hermione caught and steadied him and she began to lead them away to the door when her attention was caught by something else. Nagini. She stopped. Licking her lips, she thought frantically. Should she do it? Should she try to kill her? This could be their last chance as Voldemort looked to be recuperating. But if she missed, their cover would be blown and they might not get out. Harry was in no condition to fight and Ron was busy with the girl. Steeling herself, she took aim. "Hermione what are you doing?" Ron whispered frantically. Harry quickly looked over and followed her gaze.

"Hermione, no! " "Avada Kedavra!" she yelled. Voldemort's eyes snapped in her direction and he raised his wand but they were already running for the door, out of sight beneath the cloak. He was just about to chase after them when he became aware that the curse had not been aimed at him. A loud hiss sounded from his right and he looked down upon Nagini as the life left her eyes and she fell limply to the ground. A deep green smoke billowed from her corpse and rose up out of her and disappeared. Eyes wide in fury and shock, He raised his arms and yelled in fury. Waves of rage flowed from his body in the form of raw magic and crashed upon the walls of his fortress. The walls and roof shook and everything began to cave.

Mere feet from the door, Harry collapsed screaming in agony from Voldemort's rage which had spread to his scar. He clutched wildly at it and became completely unaware of anything but his pain. The others were forced to stop and help him out the door. Voldemort's gaze snapped in their direction and he began to run towards them shouting curses as he went. The curses flew in every sense, without any particular target and the prisoners quickly scrambled outside. Hermione gave Ron a look and he nodded disapparating with the dark-haired girl. Hermione grabbed Harry around the waist and followed suit just as the killing curse soared towards them.

As they disappeared she heard Voldemort scream once more and Harry yelled with him and went limp in her arms. A flash of deepest green enveloped her vision as they disappeared.


	2. Chapter 3 Aubrey

**Aubrey**

As Hermione arrived in the living room of Harry's flat, she immediately noticed something was wrong. Harry was too still. Frantically, she looked down at him and saw that his entire left side was covered in blood. She screamed and lowered him to the ground. Ron came running, having heard the scream. The pale girl lay on the couch a few feet away. "Shit." Ron exclaimed, seeing Harry's side. Hermione scourgified away the blood and gasped at what she saw. There, on Harry's side, was a long black burn mark that stretched from his hip to just below his armpit. It looked as though lightning had struck him. Jagged black marks zigzagged from the center of the wound and dark bruises were quickly forming. The wound was bleeding badly. Hermione had never seen anything like it.

"Ron, go get me a bowl of hot water and a towel." She ordered. He nodded and left, running, to follow her order. Hermione immediately set to work. She conjured some ointment meant for burns and spread it across the burn, garnering a hiss from Harry, who was beginning to stir. She also conjured several bandages and creams for Harry's other wounds as well as for the girl. Ron entered carefully but quickly carrying over a large bowl of lukewarm water, a big fluffy white towel draped over his arm. Hermione quickly thanked him and grabbed them, using the towel to dab at the blood seeping from Harry's side.

As he woke up he groaned and watched her. "What happened, Harry?" she asked, dreading the answer. "It..it hit me.." he answered unsteadily. She gave Ron, who seemed completely confused, a half-glance. "Are you sure?" she asked him. Harry, looking just as shocked as Ron, nodded. "I don't mean to interrupt your little moment of enlightenment here but what exactly hit him??" Ron asked exasperated. Hermione looked up at him wide-eyed. Her frightened eyes met his. "The death curse." She whispered. "What? That's not…" he trailed off as he looked to the wound on Harry's side, then to their expressions of surprise. He gave a low whistle. "That's one hell of an accomplishment, Harry." He muttered. Harry gave a dry chuckle. Hermione shook her head as she bandaged his side. "Boys." Deciding the boys would be ok without her for a few minutes, she left to gather some potions for Harry and the mysterious girl who had yet to wake up.

She grabbed a blood replenesher, pepper up, a few vials that would counter the effects of the cruciatus for herself, Ron and Harry and a variety or infection fighting vials. Having grabbed everything she needed, she made her way back downstairs. When she got there, Ron was helping Harry onto the unoccupied couch. He seemed to be doing better. She bustled over to them and handed them a pepper up and a cruciatus vile each and she also gave Harry an infection/fever reducing and a blood replenishing vile. She told them to drink them all and they did so without question. Nodding, she then turned to the raven-haired girl on the other couch. She examined her thoroughly and concluded that she had a sprained ankle, severe malnutrition and dehydration and she seemed to have caught pneumonia. Hermione quickly made her drink the fever reducing potion and ran upstairs to get her something for her dehydration and malnutrition. Meanwhile, Ron fixed her ankle with a quick flick of his wand. Her brow crinkled and she rolled over slightly.

When Hermione returned, she quickly fed the girl the potions, using a simple spell to help her swallow. She then went over to the boys and sat down. "Only one to go." She stated after a long silence. Ron glanced over at her grinning face and smiled widely. Harry chuckled and smiled along with them. It hadn't gone quite according to plan, but they had done it. They'd gotten rid of Nagini.

In high spirits over their escape and oncoming recovery, Hermione got up and announced she was making them something to eat. The two boys shared a look and looked as though they'd rather be back with Voldemort. "Don't worry, I'll use magic." She said in response to their looks. With smiles of relief, the boys smiled once more. After a few moments of relaxation, Ron decided to go help his fiancé with dinner leaving Harry to watch the girl.

Concluding he was too far away to do anything if she needed him, Harry carefully stood from the couch and limped across to hers. With a soft groan, he dropped down in front of her. He finally took the time to take a good look at her. She was pretty. She had long, dark lashes that contrasted sharply against her pale, creamy skin. Her dark hair was slightly wavy and went to about half-way down her back. She had a small athletic frame, somewhat bonier than normal due to her captivity. He didn't know what made him do it, but he tentatively reached out a hand and clasped hers.

He sat this way for endless minutes, simply staring at her and wondering how she had been captured. After a little while, the young girl began to stir. She let out a loud yawn as though waking form a wonderful sleep and stretched her long arms above her head, arching her back. As she did so, her flat stomach was exposed and he could see there was a small piercing in her bellybutton. Blushing slightly, he looked to her face instead. She had large, beautiful blue eyes. They contrasted so much with her skin and her hair that they seemed to leap from her face, immediately gathering your attention. She blinked blearily for a few moments before her eyes widened slightly, her breath hitched and she shot up straight on the couch, looking around wildly.

Harry immediately tried to calm her down. "Hey! It's ok, you're safe. My friends and I saved you. No one here is going to hurt you." Her wide eyes turned to stare at him. They took him in as he stood transfixed by her stare. His long hair had been magically cleaned and tied up in a loose ponytail, a few stray strands falling into his face. His skin was dark and tanned from spending his days outside playing quidditch. The darkness of his hair and skin made his emerald eyes stand out sharply, almost as her own sapphire ones did.

As she calmed down and continued to stare at him, he gave a soft smile. "What's your name?" he asked her. She hesitated for a moment and gave the room another sweeping glance. Deciding he was no threat, she replied. "Aubrey..who are you?" Harry was certainly shocked by this question. He hadn't considered she might be a muggle. He assumed that, being in Voldemort's clutches, she must be a witch. "Oh um.. I'm Harry. Harry Potter." He replied. She raised a delicate eyebrow at his obvious shock. "Well, Harry Potter. Would you mind explaining to me how I got here and where the hell here is?" she asked in a mocking no-nonsense tone. It was Harry's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Are you mocking me?" he asked her testily. "Maybe I am." She simply replied. He smirked. "I don't take kindly to being mocked." He replied . She giggled and rolled her eyes. After a few moments, she punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Well aren't you going to show me around?" she teased. Her smile dropped when he yelled and bent over clutching his shoulder. Her eyes widened and she sat up straighter. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't think I hit you that hard." She said, clearly upset. Harry took a few deep breaths and slowly unclenched his fists. She tentatively placed a hand on his back.

Ron and Hermione had rushed to the doorway upon hearing Harry's yell, but when they saw the girl place her hand on his back, they realized she was apparently at ease with Harry, minus her worried expression and decided to leave them be. After seeing Harry clutch his shoulder, they knew he'd be fine in a moment.

"Are you ok?" she repeated. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." He answered looking up into her worried eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you.." she trailed off. "It's ok, it wasn't your fault." He said. When she still looked uncertain, he continued. "We were prisoners at that place too and I was hurt a bit before we escaped." He explained. "Oh." She simply said, looking awkward. "How'd you get away?" she asked in a small voice. "Thanks to you actually." He replied "Aubrey, I don't know what you did but it caused a commotion and we were able to overthrow our guard. Whatever you did, it likely saved my life." Harry told her gently, his voice full of gratitude.

She smiled softly at him. "Well I'm glad I could help you, Harry Potter." She teased again. He grinned widely at her good humor. "Hey, how about something to eat? You look like you could use it." He teased her back. She smirked lightly at him as her stomach growled it's approval. "Yes, I think that would be in order. Go fetch me some food." She said while making a shooing motion with her hands. Harry's mouth opened wide and he place a hand above his heart. "Ouch! That hurt, Aubrey." She giggled and he slowly got up. "Do you want to come and meet my friends?" he asked her. Aubrey hesitated for a minute, fear entering her eyes. But she concluded that any friends of his wouldn't hurt her so she got up to follow him.

As he walked, she noticed he was limping badly and that he winced with every step. She approached him and softly placed her hand on his arm. "Are you sure you're ok to walk?" she asked him. He glanced over at her and gave a stiff nod. "Would you like me to help you?" she offered, wanting to help him. This time he shook his head slightly. She rolled her eyes and muttered "Stubborn." Before moving to his right side, placing her slender arm around his waist and pulling his arm over her shoulders. "Lean on me." She ordered. He gazed down at her, shocked. He knew he was stubborn but no one ever told him that. People usually just let him get on with it. He gave a small smile and complied.

"Sir, yes sir." He mumbled as they walked. She swatted him behind the head. "Ow." She smirked.

As they entered the kitchen, they found Ron and Hermione seated at the table, sipping some tea while a delicious looking lasagna cooked in the stove. When Harry came in leaning on Aubrey, Hermione immediately leapt up to help. Ron smirked in silence and sipped on his black tea. He hated the stuff, but it felt good. "Harry, you should not be on your feet! Come and sit down." Harry rolled his eyes, smiling. "Yes, mum." Hermione carefully shifted his weight onto her own shoulders and kindly addressed Aubrey. "It's nice to see you on your feet. My name's Hermione, and this is my fiancé, Ron." She said indicated Ron behind her. Aubrey smiled slightly and simply said "Aubrey" as she extended her hand. Hermione shook it warmly and offered her some tea.

"Sure that sounds nice. I'll have two creams please." She answered politely as she sat down beside Harry who was carefully adjusting his position. "Coming right up!" Hermione smiled as she waved her wand. Harry's eyes widened and he glanced quickly at Aubrey who had stiffened on seeing the wand. Harry guessed that she had seen one for the first time during her captivity and probably didn't like seeing one now. He reached over and placed a warm hand over hers. She looked at him fearfully. "It's ok. We're good guys." He whispered so that only she would hear him. She let out a breath, glanced at Hermione and nodded with a slight smile. He smiled back. Ron gave them a suspicious look and grinned. Hermione, unaware of this exchange placed Aubrey's tea before her along with a tray of cinnamon biscuits. "What are you grinning about?" she asked Ron playfully. He looked up at her "Nothing, Mi." She smiled at the nickname and sat herself down on his lap.

"So, Aubrey. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself. " Hermione suggested. Putting down her cup and picking up a biscuit, Aubrey nodded. "Ok. Well, my name is Aubrey Snape. I'm…what?" she asked uncertainly. Upon speaking her last name, Ron had choked on his tea, Hermione's eyes had grown wide as saucers and Harry's mouth had dropped open in shock. There was a vague resemblance… "No-nothing. Go on. Sorry." Hermione said, recovering quickly. Giving them all strange looks, Aubrey haltingly continued her story. " Um.. I'm from the states. I grew up in Miami. I love sports, especially basketball and soccer and I think reading sucks." At these words, the boys grew silent and stared at Hermione who's lips were drawn into a thin line while her eyes threatened to pop out of her head. "What did I do this time?" she asked exasperated as the boys began to shake in barely surpressed laughter.

"Nothing. So uh why-why do you hate reading so much?" Hermione responded shrilly, trying to contain her shock. The two boys, unable to hold it anymore began to laugh loudly, tears of mirth coming to their eyes. Aubrey gazed around confusedly before fixing her stare on a red-faced Hermione. "I dunno.. I just never got into it. It's a waste of time really." Ron and Harry wailed loudly as they continued to laugh, clutching their aching sides. Hermione simply nodded uncomfortably and got up to check on the lasagna. His sides were starting to really hurt so Harry had to force himself, with much trouble, to stop laughing. His peals of laughter slowly turned into small wet chuckles as tears continued to streak down his grinning face.

"What did I do?" she asked again, looking at Harry. He gave another loud laugh before finally answering her. "Nothin really. It's just Hermione here is the biggest book-lover you'll meet. She's like a walking encyclopedia." He answered giving Hermione a fond look to show her he meant no malice in his words. Aubrey's pale complexion turned a few shades redder and she quickly glanced at Hermione and gave a soft giggle. "My bad." She said. Ron, wiping the tears from his eyes, went over to Hermione. "So, you're a Snape, huh?" Harry asked her. Confused, she nodded. Was this what had caused the strange reaction? Her last name? "Any relation to a Severus Snape?" he asked casually. Her eyes widened for a moment, then darkened. "We don't talk about him." Harry laughed outright. "Yeah, we didn't like him very much either." He stated fondly. It is true that he hadn't liked him but he did respect him after what he did for the order.

"You knew my uncle?" Aubrey was seriously confused. Why would a good guy know her uncle. "Uncle?!? Snape was your uncle??" Becoming uncomfortable and even more confused, she quietly replied "Erm..yes?" Harry stared at her in shock for a few minutes before she became exasperated and smacked him in the head. "What's the big deal? And how do you know him anyways?" she asked him suspiciously. Harry deduced that she was told he was a bad person and was now worried about how he knew him. "Ah.. He kinda taught at my ..highschool.. for about 15 years." Aubrey's eyes grew fearful. Which kind of highschool had this boy attended? From what she had heard, her uncle was a cold, heartless murderer. Surely any school he would have taught at was not a good one.

Understanding what she must be thinking, he quickly added "He's not the man you think he is. I can tell by the way you're looking at me, you think he's a bad man but he wasn't. Well..I mean he wasn't the nicest guy around. But he wasn't evil." Her large fearful eyes grew confused and suspicious. "Why should I believe you. You're… one of them." She said fearfully, referring to the wand she had seen earlier. Harry became aware that Ron and Hermione were listening in. He ran a hand through his messy hair. "Look, I know this is a lot to take in at once but we are wizards, Hermione is a witch. But we are good. We are in a secret organization that is dedicated to defeating all the evil wizards out there." He paused here to glance up at Aubrey. She seemed to be considering it.

"You're uncle, used to be one of the bad wizards known as death eaters. They're the ones who held us captive at the fortress." He continued. Her eyes grew wide at this information. Had her uncle been there? Had he watched her suffer? Once again seeing her train of thought, he sadly shook his head. "No, he wasn't there. You're uncle was killed by his own kind. For disloyalty and betrayal. Your uncle regretted his decision to become one of them mere months after he joined. He came to our leader and begged for forgiveness. It was granted and he became our spy against the dark wizard known as Voldemort." He paused again to let this information sink in. She seemed overwhelmed and he wasn't sure if he should go on. "So, how did you become caught up in this war?" she asked after a few moments of quiet consideration. She seemed to believe what he was telling her.

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "That's kind of a long story." He said. He absentmindedly rubbed his scar. She studied him carefully. 'He's such a mystery.' She thought. 'He's so young yet he's involved with something so big, so beyond him. It's like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.' She mused. Hermione and Ron suddenly came to sit down, Hermione carrying a casserole of steaming lasagna on a towel. Having overheard Harry and Aubrey, she had decided to use as little magic as possible until she was used to the idea and had suggested Ron do the same. "Dinners ready!" she stated cheerfully. "That looks amazing Mione!" Harry exclaimed, glad that it seemed to have come out alright. "Yeah, Hun. Looks great. " Ron added, kissing her softly. Aubrey's stomach growled. "Fried dung would look good right about now." She said. The other three laughed and Hermione served her a large helping of the delicious pasta.

Supper was very quiet, all four of them enjoying their first meal since their captivity. Butterbeer was passed around and Aubrey quickly decided she liked the drink and had a few more. Soon she was slurring her words and claiming to be slightly tipsy. Harry chuckled along with Ron as Hermione glared at the two for getting her drunk. "Aubrey, the boys will help you to your room ok?" "I non't deed their help. I, I can get there all by my self!." She stated, jabbing a finger proudly into her chest. Harry giggled and stood to help her. His leg was stiff from sitting down and he was limping more than earlier. "Come on, Aubrey let's go to your room." He said, grabbing her arm and helping her to her feet. "Oh, ok Parry Hotter." She slurred drunkenly as he led her up the stairs towards his room where she'd be staying. She grabbed his hand as they ascended and began to swing it between them as she hummed a small tune. Harry blushed and smiled, highly amused.

When they finally made it to his room, he carefully pushed her in, allowing her to lean against him as he shut the door. He gently sat her down on the bed and she gazed around the room with wide amazed eyes. He had forgotten she wasn't used to magic. "The people move!" she exclaimed happily when she saw the picture of his parents on his bedstand. Harry chuckled and told her that that's how wizard portrait's worked. "Who are they?" she asked him. He watched the dancing figures of his parents longingly for a moment before answering softly "My parents." Not quite understanding but knowing this topic upset him, she demanded he sit beside her. He smiled and complied. He carefully pulled his leg up onto the bed, wincing and leaned back uncomfortably against the headboard. Aubrey quickly placed a few pillows behind him, noticing his discomfort. "Thanks." He smiled. She smiled back childishly and quickly snuggled into him. He hissed sharply and grew stiff as she brushed up against his injured side and ribs.

Aubrey noticed and quickly shifter so she was no longer touching his side. "Are you ok?" she asked him, her eyes holding that same fearful look she had downstairs. He looked over at her and smiled fondly. He really was starting to like her. "I'm fine Aubrey. Just a little sore." She smiled back, her eyes twinkling as she looked into his emerald depths. "Well that's good then." She stated happily. Suddenly her expression became surprised and she added "That you're ok I mean not that you're sore!" Harry chuckled and hugged her carefully to him. She sighed contentedly and snaked her arm around his waist. "Goodnight, Harry Potter" she said sleepily. She gave a great yawn and, to Harry's amazement and shock, she fell soundly asleep.


End file.
